Collision Course

Sorry for the delay ...

Collision Course 17: Fast and Furious

Dom felt like a whole new world had just opened up for him. He hummed as he stripped the soiled sheets from the bed. He'd already been in the shower for a quick rinse, now he was dressed in comfortable boxers with his arms full of well-used linen. He was just about to toss his burden into the corner when Brian padded barefoot through the door.

Dom let out a wolf-whistle as Brian walked to the foot of the bed. "Maybe I shoulda waited to change the sheets," he mocked as he leered at the towel wrapped around Brian's loins.

"Maybe you shoulda kept your dick outa his ass," snarled a husky voice from the doorway.

It was as if time paused.

A sense of unreality hit Dom as he watched Brian's eyes widen in shock. Dom tried to turn his head, but his muscles were paralyzed. Agonizingly slowly, his neck responded to his brain's demands. Inch by inch Dom's gaze traveled across the bare mattress to the doorway -- to the infuriated figure that stood framed there. The dark clad figure that held a gun aimed, not at him, but at Brian.

"Letty."

She held the gun easily and Dom understood her well enough to know that she wasn't fooling. Her face held the promise of death.

"Brian," Dom said softly, never taking his eyes from Letty. "Don't move."

"Good advice. Too bad it won't work," Letty said. She lifted her lips in a feral smile and revealed her white teeth. Her eyes hardened as she glared at the center of Brian's chest.

"I'm the one who you hate," Dom said trying to distract her. He measured the distance. Could he lunge across the bed and get to her before she pulled the trigger? Maybe he could toss the sheets over her, blind her, take her down without anyone getting hurt. "I'm the one who screwed around on you." He saw her eye twitch. "This is between us -- it doesn't involve him."

If he could get her attention focused on him, if Brian didn't move, if nothing startled her, if he could get her talking -- they'd have a chance.

"Yeah, that's right," Letty surprised him by agreeing. "But if I take my gun off him, you'll both try to jump me. I'm not exactly stupid." There was a jangle of metal as Letty tossed the cuffs onto the naked mattress. "Tell ya what. Cuff yourself to the headboard, Dom, that way I'll be able to watch loverboy here while he gets dressed. Then he can beat feet, while I deal with you." She suggested, never once taking her gaze off Brian. "Deal?"

"No way," Brian said. He was shaking his head back and forth.

Dom saw the tensing of muscles beneath the golden skin. He noticed Brian's glittering eyes. He understood what the flaring nostrils meant. Brian was about to spring ... and he would die.

"Deal," Dom called out. Then he softened his voice. "Relax, Bri," he said casually as he tossed the sheets to the floor and sank down on the bed. "She promised to let you go, right, Let?"

"Ya know it."

Dom closed one side of the handcuffs around an oaken rail of the headboard. He gave her a long look as he secured the remaining side of the restraint to his left wrist.

Letty smiled when she heard the soft clicking the cuff made as it engaged. "Yeah, Dom. I always keep my promises." Her smile turned into a determined scowl as her eyes narrowed on Brian. Dom felt fear slither through him. "When Mia called me this afternoon, bawling and half crazy with pain, I promised her that I'd take care of things." Letty licked her lips and shifted her feet, thrusting one hip out aggressively. "*And* -- don't forget -- I also promised *you* something," she hissed. "That you'd be sorry, very sorry."

"Letty, please ... don't." She'd taken him for a ride and he'd fallen for it. If he couldn't talk her down, she was going to --

"I'm gonna put a bullet in his chest," she snarled. "And you can watch from there -- comfy on the bed where you fucked him." Her voice cracked and murder was etched on her face. "You can watch while he bleeds all over the floor."

From somewhere outside the room, someone bellowed. Letty took a firmer grip on the gun. Brian tensed, preparing to dive. Dom screamed, "No!"

The room exploded into motion.

A dark form came hurdling through the bedroom door. Like a juggernaut, it slammed into Letty. The gun went off. Dom lunged, desperate to throw his body into the path of the bullet, only to be brought up short by the steel that held him chained. Brian dove to the side then jerked slightly as a brilliant red flower bloomed on the wall behind him. Dom howled in anguish.

Letty twisted as she fell to the floor. She fought her unknown attacker. Dom watched her swing the gun and slam it sideways into a head of dark, wavy hair. She was going to win the fight. Wildly he sought out his lover. Brian was standing near the wall, a startled look on his face, watching the two forms wrestling on the floor. Dom saw a trickle of blood ooze from the dark, round hole in Brian's upper chest.

"Bastard," Letty hissed as she kicked her way free and rose to her feet. She took several steps back and brought the gun to bare. She pointed the barrel directly between two hazel eyes ...

"Tomas!" Brian cried as he staggered toward the couple.

... and pulled the trigger.

===

Larry Noster had been right beside his employer when Tomas had placed the call to Brian. He'd had a good view of his boss's face and hadn't had a clue that anything unusual was happening.

He'd heard Tomas ask, "And who might you be?" but the actor's face had revealed nothing other than disappointment when he'd turned to Larry and quietly said that the evening's plans had been changed. They wouldn't be going out after all. Larry had nodded his head, not a bit suspicious, and had ordered the driver to put the war-horse back in its stall for the night.

It wasn't until later, when Larry had been making his last rounds, that he noticed the old Chevette missing and grew uneasy. A quick check of the house and a review of the security tapes had him speeding across L.A. in pursuit of his high-strung boss. He'd played a hunch, hoping that he'd find his little general laying siege to the castle he'd been attempting to breach for the past month. Larry knew how deeply involved Tomas was with Brian O'Connor and he could only hope that whatever was going on between the two would work out. He liked O'Connor, and Tomas certainly deserved to have someone special in his private life.

Larry was immeasurably relieved to find the small, brown car parked out front of O'Connor's. He relaxed in his seat. If Tomas was inside with Brian, then Larry would probably have a long wait. He needed to call his wife, tell her he'd be late. He was reaching for his cell phone when a flash of light caught the corner of his eye. He turned his head and immediately recognized the thin beam of a flashlight glinting through the windows of the garage door.

Trouble, his instincts screamed.

For a big man he could move quickly when he needed to. He was out of the car, across the lawn, and peering through the oval shaped garage window before the intruder had a chance to enter the main part of the house. He saw a small, compact form sneak from the garage into the kitchen. He didn't recognize the intruder, but the figure that rose up from behind the car and followed -- that person he knew very well.

"What the hell is going on?" he muttered as Tomas Drake tiptoed after the burglar. "And what the hell is the boss up to?"

Larry tried the overhead door. It was locked. Logic told him there must be a back way in. So he ran around the corner of the garage and, sure enough, the door was unlocked.

He was in the kitchen when the gun went off. He was in the hallway when the dark female sprang to her feet. He was in the bedroom doorway when she hissed, lifted the gun, and took point blank aim. He was flying through the air when she pulled the trigger.

===

Dom blinked at the pile of bodies on the bedroom floor. The dark haired man, Brian's friend Tomas, the man who'd fought with Letty, was struggling to his knees. Brian was facedown, his back covered in blood. Beneath him lay another stranger; the one who'd appeared from nowhere and taken Letty's last shot.

Letty.

He could hear her moans of pain from somewhere at the bottom of the gruesome mound.

Dom braced his feet against the oak, grabbed the short chain between the cuffs, and pulled. The stubborn oak rail bowed with the strain. Dom tried harder. He used his legs for leverage, until, in a spray of splinters, the wood gave up.

By the time Dom managed to get free, Tomas had Brian's head cradled on his lap. He was patting Brian's pale face and begging him to open his eyes. In response, the blue eyes opened and, with mixed feelings, Dom saw Brian's look of relieved pleasure.

"You're all right," he heard Brian whisper to Tomas. Dom felt his heart contract when Brian lifted a shaking hand and pressed it against the handsome man's smooth cheek. Tomas laid his hand over Brian's fingers and squeezed them gently. Then he turned his head so that he could kiss Brian's palm intimately, lovingly.

Dom had to look away.

Movement from the second stranger caught his attention. The big man was trying to sit up and Dom scrambled off the bed to help him.

"Easy," he said, not sure how badly the man was wounded.

"I'm okay," gasped the stranger. "Just got the wind knocked out me, that's all." He sat up and winced as he adjusted the bulletproof vest he wore under his jacket.

Letty cried out softly as the man's weight lifted off her.

Dom nearly cried himself at the sight of her crumpled body. Her shoulders were out of line and he knew instantly that one was out of its socket, the arm possibly broken. "Letty," he said tenderly as he gently gathered her to him.

"You okay, Mr. Drake?" Dom heard the big man say as he stood.

"Yes, but Brian has been shot," came the world famous deep baritone voice that Dom recognized.

"He's lucky, the bullet just went through his shoulder -- missed the lung -- doesn't look like anything vital got hit," Larry Noster pronounced after looking Brian over expertly. "Other than loss of blood and shock, I think he'll be fine."

Dom took a deep, relieved breath and felt Letty shudder in his arms. "Thank God," he heard her whisper under her breath. Dom kissed her gently on the ear.

"Police?" Noster asked.

"No!" Brian cried out and tried to sit up. "Tomas, please. He's -- "

"I *know* who he is," Tomas said gently. "Your reason for leaving the force, no?" Brian nodded and then grabbed at his shoulder, wincing in pain. "Such timing is amazing, is it not?" Tomas said sarcastically and then motioned his head toward Letty. "The girlfriend?" Brian nodded much more carefully this time. Tomas sighed dramatically before saying, "I don't want him in the hospital, Mr. Noster -- the press and the authorities will find out everything."

"I'll take care of it." Larry Noster pulled his phone from his pocket and began barking orders. "A surgeon and a private ambulance are on the way," he said a moment later. "We'll take him right to the mansion and, if the story does break, we'll say I shot him by accident."

Dom held Letty as gently as he could and pressed his face into her midnight hair. How could everything have changed so quickly? Just minutes ago, things had been so good. He'd never been happier in his life, but look at what his happiness had cost.

This was all his fault. He never should have come back. Look at the price that everyone he loved had paid. Letty driven crazy with hate, wild with anger. She'd nearly killed two people. Now she was broken, whimpering in his arms. Mia devastated, embarrassed, and ashamed of her own brother. She'd have a tough time facing her friends, much less living with them. And then there was Brian ...

Brian had been putting his life back together. He'd found someone who loved him enough to jump in front of a gun for him. Dom glanced over to where the man was fussing over Brian, telling him to be still whenever Brian would try to sit up. Dom sadly noticed the gentle way the man tucked a blanket around Brian's long limbs to keep him warm while they waited for the ambulance. The man loved Brian -- it was obvious.

Dom felt despair settle over him. He knew who the man was -- Brian's almost-lover was none other than Tomas Drake, the well-known and reputedly gay actor. He was rich, powerful, handsome, and brave. Drake was perfect for Brian. He was someone Brian would be safe with, someone he wouldn't be ashamed to be seen with -- not some criminal on the run who's violent past seemed to keep catching up to him.

"Dom?" he heard Brian calling to him.

He sighed before answering, "Yeah?"

"You and Letty okay?"

Dom's haunted eyes met a pair of chilly hazel ones. "I'm fine, Bri," he said as he held Drake's accusing glare. "Letty's shoulder's dislocated and --"

"Well pop it back in, you stupid fuck," she surprised them all by demanding weakly as she struggled out of his comforting embrace. She tried to stand, but couldn't quite manage it. Dom helped her up.

Dom watched Drake's eyes widen as he looked distastefully at her. Under different circumstances, he might have laughed at the sour look on the man's face. Letty took some getting used to, especially after she'd just kicked your ass and fired a gun at you.

"I probably could ..." Noster began slowly. "Save the doctor's asking too many questions. Though ... it'll hurt like hell."

"Yes, by all means, Mr. Noster. Put the creature's arm back together," Drake ordered. "Just make sure there are no weapons within its reach."

"Eat shit," Letty snarled, her bravado firmly back in place. "Oh, wait," she paused as if in thought. "Being another butt-lickin' fag ..." She directed her hard gaze to Dom. "... you'd no doubt like it."

Noster chuckled in admiration as he gently took her arm and studied it carefully. "You tell him girl." He bent her elbow and prodded at her ribs. She scowled fiercely at the floor. "Nothing broken," he declared. "Guess the boss's head ain't quite as -- " He wrenched her arm upward and back -- the bones slid back into place with an audible *pop*. She trembled but remained silent. "-- hard as it looks."

Dom saw the sweat bead on her brow, he saw her lips turn pale and tremble, he saw moisture fill her eyes -- but she didn't cry. Instead, she blinked the tears away and looked around defiantly. She was staring them all down, resilient to the last.

God, he loved her.

He saw her eyes lock with Drake's. Saw her raise her chin and glare her hatred at him. She looked hard and tough -- but Dom knew better. She was hurting inside, filled with a guilt that she didn't know how to express. Dom had done this to her and he ached with the knowledge. What little softness she had ever possessed, he'd managed to crush. He'd taken her when she'd been too young. Then he'd screwed them both by getting her involved in his criminal activities -- dragging her into the dark world with him, cheating on her, outgrowing her.

She was as he'd made her -- magnificent, dangerous, and cold.

"Better get dressed," Larry Noster broke into his thoughts. "The ambulance will be here in a few minutes and Mr. Drake wants you and the girl gone when it arrives."

"Brian?" he asked softly.

"Mr. Drake says that you're to go. He'll make sure that Mr. O'Connor has everything he ever needs."

Dom stiffened and glared at the man.

"*You* might not mind doing some more time." Noster looked meaningfully at Letty and continued, the threat clear in his voice, "but it'd sure be a shame to see *her* behind bars."

Dom heard pounding on the front door. He looked at Brian, saw the way Drake was holding his hand. He looked at the pain sketched on Brian's face, looked at the misting eyes, looked at the blood smeared on the carpet, and made his decision. He pulled his pants on quickly, took Letty by her good arm, and headed toward the door.

"Dominic?" Brian asked as they moved past him. Dom didn't -- couldn't look back. He just kept going.

"Easy, my love," Drake said. "They must leave. Lie back down."

"*Dominic!*”

He glanced back. Drake was practically sitting on Brian's legs, trying to keep him down. Brian's face was twisted with pain and disbelief. His eyes were begging. He lifted a hand ... Dom turned away. He took Letty through the back door and out into the night.

.